Skin
by katbybee
Summary: Tony and Tim are sent to interview a witness in a rather unique setting. Things don't go quite as expected. Shouldn't that be expected by now? Dramedy/Whump. Usual useless disclaimers. Please review. Shout out to Xav, writing partner extraordinaire..


."You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Agent Timothy McGee practically exploded.

"What's the matter, Probie? You shy or something?" Agent Tony DiNozzo was enjoying watching the other man's ears turn red as he realized why their boss had sent the two of them to search for their possibly hostile witness at this particular address.

"I thought this was a regular trailer park!"

Tony shrugged. "It is a trailer park. What's your problem?"

Tim looked at his partner incredulously. "My problem? My problem is that these… they, we… uh" he sputtered to a stop and waved one hand helplessly in the air before dropping it in his lap.

Tony grinned widely as he made the turn into the entrance gate of the trailer park. "Yes, McGeek. It is a nudist trailer park. The people who live here are nudists. What's wrong with that?"

Wide-eyed, Tim stares at his partner. "It doesn't bother you?"

"Not really. There are probably some really hot looking ladies hanging out around here. That's clearly a bonus, Tim."

Tim just shook his head. If it was anything like most trailer parks he'd been in, he had his doubts about that, but he knew when to keep his mouth shut.

They approached the guardhouse and looked up at the young man who stared at them impassively. They showed him their creds and Tony stated their business. The man seemed unsurprised that cops were looking for one of their residents. He simply informed them that the office was adjacent to the pool in the middle of the park. And _oh, by the way, if they wanted to enter the park, they would need to remove their clothes._ They could take off their clothes in the restroom just across the way in the parking lot. There were lockers provided at no charge. He pointed with a bored air. He was also completely serious.

Tim's jaw dropped as he shook his head vehemently.

Tony scowled at the guard. "I don't think you understand. We are law enforcement officers. We are looking for someone. We cannot do that without our clothes. Without our weapons."

Unimpressed, the guard stared at Tony and smirked. "Not my problem. Not my rules. No exceptions. You get naked, or you don't go in. Besides, I never said you couldn't take your guns in. I couldn't care less about that."

Tony's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "Where are we supposed to put them, genius?"

The guard merely shrugged and leaned back on his high-backed stool, staring at them.

Tim's nerves, already on a razor's edge, finally shattered. He snapped at the guard. Memories of his brief time being held hostage in a prison suddenly filled his memory, and the fun and games were over. "You wanna get your ass arrested for obstruction of justice, Sunshine? I guarantee you won't like even a short time being held in jail. And I bet I can figure out a way to make your time even _more_ unpleasant, if you get my drift!"

Tony's eyes grew wide as he watched Tim's expression harden and his emerald green eyes darken to nearly black. Tim's next words were delivered in a near whisper, and even Tony was chilled as Tim hissed. "Open the gate. Now."

Refusing to even look in their direction, the pale security guard pressed a button and the gate rose in front of them. Tony maneuvered the sedan through the gate, and they headed down the driveway and through the neatly maintained park. Other than the fact that the few people out and about, or puttering around their yards were nude, there was nothing remarkable about the park at all. They were stared at, mostly, they realized, because they were clothed. They didn't belong there. It was an odd feeling. McGee had not said one word since his outburst at the gate.

Tony figured he'd talk to his Probie later. It was clear there was a lot more going on than he had been admitting to. There'd be time for that later. For now, they had a witness to find. And if the guy was hiding here, well, at least, he'd have a hard time concealing a weapon. They checked with the manager of the park and she granted them permission to search but did acknowledge that allowing them to remain clothed was a rare privilege. They obtained the space number of their witness and headed in that direction.

Tony turned and looked at Tim. "What do you think, McGee? Think Metzger will give us the code without a fight?

Tim shook his head. "I doubt it. Everything I dug up on this guy says he's gonna rabbit on us. He's not a suspect, but he's scared. He's got a lot to lose when we take Conley down for good."

Tony frowned as they got closer to the section they wanted. He stopped and stared at Tony. "Wait, what? What's a guy who lives in a nudist colony got to lose?"

Tim sighed. "His life, Tony."

~NCIS~

They were a bit surprised when they found the space they wanted. The yard and trailer were extremely well-maintained and clean. The covered deck that led up to the door was stained and sealed and was pristine, with a few potted plants and a table and chair off to one side and what looked like a clean, but well used barbecue off in one corner. Tony quirked an eyebrow at Tim. This didn't fit in their profile at all. Neither did the Big Wheel that was parked next to the table. There had been no mention of kids or any current family in his background. Of course, there was no mention of his propensity for nudism, either.

Tim took up a position where he could go through the back. Tony knocked on the door and announced their presence. Tony tensed as he heard the door rattle and begin to open. He had his Sig out and ready, knowing he might only have a split second to react.

"Can I help you?" Tony was momentarily stunned. The appearance of the outside of the trailer had prepared him for a grandma type to answer the door. He was not ready for a woman who could rival Raquel Welch in her prime. Naked. To say that the sight threw him off for a few moments was an understatement.

The woman smiled and raised an eyebrow, her eyes on his cap. "NCIS," she said mockingly. "Oh my! And unfortunately you're clothed! Goodness me, whatever have I done to deserve the honor of a visit from the Navy's finest? Come in!" She opened the door wider, and Tony was suddenly unsure if he should step into the room or not. Something felt off about her actions… she was too… friendly.

"Uhh, how about we stay out here on the deck. It's such a nice day."

A knowing smirk crossed the woman's face. "Oh, if you insist, Mister…"

Tony stepped back so the woman could step out onto her deck. "It's Special Agent DiNozzo. And you are…"

They took seats at the patio table and chairs.

His companion smiled her eyes glinting with mischief as she looked off over his shoulder towards the back of the trailer. "My name is Charlene… Who I am is your _distraction_." She grinned broadly and leaned back in her chair her figure displayed in all its glory.

In the split second before the back window of the trailer exploded outward as his partner came flying through it amongst the now shattered glass louvers. Charlene reached under the table and pulled out a pistol that had apparently been taped there. She pointed it straight at Tony's face. "As planned you were so fascinated with me, you forgot to check in with your partner." She smirked. He found my brother in the back bedroom. Or, more properly, my brother found him."

The front door opened, and a fully clothed man holding a pistol came out. It took Tony only a moment to recognize Metzger from his file. The guy they figured would be scared and would give them what they needed. Yeah, they figured he'd put up a fight. _But this?_ Tony chanced a glance over at his partner. Tim was moving slightly, but there was a lot of blood and glass all over him. And that made Tony mad. He just had to be cool. He couldn't help Tim if he got himself killed.

Casually, he looked over at Charlene. "So, I guess we got it wrong. We came into this place thinking your brother was the nudist. Guess it's you."

Charlene rolled her eyes, but the gun never wavered. "I would say that's kind of obvious, wouldn't you?"

Tony sighed. "Yeah, guess so. Sorry. Look. I need to get my partner and patch him up. His trip through that window cut him up pretty good. You really don't wanna have murder of a federal agent charges against you do you? I mean, all we did was come looking for a code. We can get both of you into federal witness protection. This isn't irreversible yet…but," he cautiously points to his partner. "He dies, and all bets are off. You both go down for murder of a Fed. And those charges aren't pretty, trust me."

Tony shut up then, letting them think about what he said. He didn't dare chance a look at Tim, but mentally he sent a message to him. _Keep breathing, Probie! You die on me and I swear, I will kill you!_

Tony was so focused on Charlene and the gun she held he was actually startled when a very familiar voice suddenly shattered the tableau. "NCIS! Put down the guns!"

It was over in seconds. Charlene dropped her gun, and Tony whipped his Sig o bout to cover her. Her brother rabbited, just as they figured he would. Gibbs yelled, "Tony, did you guys get the code?"

Tony yelled back. "No, Boss!"

Ziva materialized beside Gibbs, who pointed his gun at Charlene and yelled at the two. "Then go get him! I got her! I also called a bus for Tim. Move it!"

Tony and Ziva split up immediately and Tony spotted their quarry almost immediately. What floored him was that the little rat had apparently stopped long enough to ditch his clothes in an apparent attempt to blend in. Tony sighed and sped up. He was gonna nail this bastard. _He'd had enough_…

He followed right on Metzger's tail for about five minutes, marveling at how fit the other man seemed to be, and how much how out of shape he himself really was. He had gotten out of the habit of hitting the gym every day, and Gibbs had been ragging him about it. Well… maybe Gibbs had a point.

Tony growled as his breathing became harsh. He hated that his bout with the plague had robbed him of some of his endurance and lung capacity. Most of time he just ignored it. Today, he raged at it. That rage enabled him to double down and gain enough speed to catch up to the fleeing Metzger. Tony left the ground in a long flying tackle that would have impressed any Hollywood stuntman and took down the suspect hard. They rolled several times in the filthy grassy alley between the trailers. Tony ended up on top of the naked man, and he quickly flipped the man onto his belly, Metzger howling in pain as various bits of debris cut into places never met to have debris cut into them

Tony was beyond caring as he roughly cuffed the man. "Shut up! If you didn't want trash and dirt all over your junk, ya shouldn't have gotten naked and run, should ya?"

He hauled the man to his feet and had read him his rights just as Ziva came around the corner into the erstwhile alley. She blinked a few times, not bothering to blush, though she did stare at Tony for a few moments. He got the message and sighed. Even though they were in a nudist colony and the guy had voluntarily shed his clothes, a smart lawyer could shred them alive.

He removed his jacket and stared at it for a moment. He shook his head. "I just got this one broken in, and it actually fit me right, damnit."

Predictably, Ziva just stared at him impassively.

With a slight shudder, Tony carefully tied his jacket apron-style around their suspect. Now, no defense lawyer could use Metzger's state of undress against them. But Tony really _had_ liked that jacket. Giving him a slight nudge, Tony and Ziva marched their suspect back to where Gibbs was waiting. They heard the welcome wail of an ambulance coming closer. Tony shoved the suspect into the backseat of the sedan, thankful for the cage. Charlene was seated in the same spot they had left her, though now she was dressed in a simple pair of jeans and tee shirt with no bra or shoes. They had a feeling Gibbs had picked the clothes while guarding her. Wordlessly, Ziva pulled her gun and sat down next to Charlene, smiling lethally. Gibbs nodded and stood, motioning for Tony to follow him as they stepped over to where Tim lay beside the trailer.

Tony knelt down next to his partner. Tim was pretty much a mass of cuts from head to toe, and his clothes were shredded. Fortunately, most of them didn't look life-threatening though it looked as if they were very painful, and he'd need a lot of stitches. There were a couple of really deep ones, one on his right arm and one running the length of his left calf. He was impressed to see that there were two tourniquets in place, one made from Tim's tie, on his arm, and one from his belt around his calf. Because he was lying on his right side, he had pulled his right arm up protectively up to his chest, to keep as much pressure off of it as he could.

Tony looked over at Gibbs. "Good thinking with the tourniquets, Boss."

Gibbs shook his head. "Not me, Tony." He pointed at McGee. "Him."

Tony looked down at Tim just as the younger man's eyes cracked open. Green irises barely shown through swollen and blackened lids. It looked like Tim had taken a beating before he had gotten tossed through the window. "Hey Probie, you did good."

"Yeah, made a great punching bag, and a damn good glider." He grimaced in pain and shut his eyes as the ambulance pulled up next to the trailer and the paramedics rushed over to their patient.

Gibbs and Tony stepped back to let the pros work. As it turned out, it was decided that there was so much glass and so many cuts in so many places all over Tim that it would be prudent to simply carefully pick him up and transport him in the position he was in, while at the same time attempting to keep as much of the glass from digging into him as possible. They accomplished this by gently turning him side to side and after assuring there were no major shards of glass sticking out of his right side, they moved him onto a backboard and cushioned him on either side with sheets.

It was a simple matter from there to load him carefully into the ambulance and get him to the hospital. Tim never felt the IV the paramedic placed in his arm. Shortly after they headed out of the trailer park, he finally passed out.

Gibbs sent Tony to follow the ambulance to Bethesda. He gave him strict instructions to check on him, and then get back to HQ with a report. He didn't want Tony staying too long, because he needed to debrief Tony on exactly what had happened at the trailer park. In the meantime, he was going to have a chat with Dennis Metzger.

By the time Tony got back from the Emergency Room, he was at least able to let the others know that Tim's injuries were indeed not life-threatening. He had more stitches in him than Tony's Grandmother Paddington's antique tapestries, but he would eventually be alright. The only thing they did say was that in all likelihood, Tim was facing some extensive plastic surgery, especially for the facial cuts. They would have to see about that at some point down the road.

This medical report fueled Gibbs' rage, but he was determined to do nothing to give anyone a legal reason to let the man off for what he had done to his youngest agent. He would conduct this interrogation by the absolute letter of the law. But it didn't mean he couldn't terrify the hell out of the man in the process. Two hours later, Gibbs walked out with the code. Nothing was said when he emerged from the room and indicated that one of the other agents was to go in and escort the prisoner to lock-up, but they all recognized the grim, yet triumphant glint to his eyes.

He handed Tony a small slip of paper with a few lines of seemingly random letters and numbers scrawled on it. Tony glanced at it and then at Gibbs. "You want me to send this to Cybercrimes, or you wanna save it for Tim?"

Gibbs stood still for a long moment. "None of these jokers are going anywhere. McGee paid a lot for that code. Let's save it for him."

Tony nodded. "He'll appreciate it, Boss"

A ghost of a smile flitted behind Gibbs' eyes and he flicked his head towards Tony's desk. "Get back to it DiNozzo. You got a report to write. On my desk by 0800."

Tony smiled. "On it, Boss."

**~NCIS~**

**Bethesda Naval Hospital**

**Room 472**

**Six Days Later**

Tony walked into his partner's room carrying a cup of coffee and a Styrofoam meal container. He set both down on the nightstand he had commandeered as a table. He grimaced at the chair next to the nightstand but knew he didn't have too many choices in the matter. He sighed and sat down. After all the various times he has spent here, both as a patient and as a visitor, the furniture still never fails to irk him. You'd think they could at least try to put in some halfway comfortable stuff.

Tony sighed and watched his partner sleep as he dug into his cafeteria mystery meal. He knew what it was supposed to be, but he also knew that wasn't exactly what it was. No chicken fricassee he had ever seen in his life had ever looked like _that_. But, it was nutrition of a sort, and that's what counted. He ate everything on his tray without really tasting it. He sighed again and thought about what the doctors had told him. He was Tim's medical proxy, so the doctors had no problem talking to him.

When Tim had first been brought in, they had cleaned, debrided and stitched his many wounds. They had also placed him on mass-spectrum antibiotics, since the metal and glass that had ripped up his flesh from the trailer window he'd been thrown through was at least fifteen years old. Being McGee, he'd managed to react to at least one of the antibiotics, which was why he was still in the hospital. Otherwise, he might have been sent home already. As it was, it looked as if it would be at least another day or so. Tony knew there was no real reason that he was sticking around so much. God knew there was a ton of paperwork to fill out regarding the case, but, still, looking at his Probie's battered face, and the bandages that still adorned a good portions of his body, Tony really didn't want to be anyplace else. Tim was in a lot of pain, though he hated to admit it. But at least the doctors were assuring Tony that his Probie would eventually make a full recovery.

**~TBC~**

**Three Months Later**

Tony looked over at his passenger. "You sure you wanna do this, Probie?"

Tim shook his head grimly. "Not your Probie yet, Tony."

Tony sighed. This was not the first time they'd had this conversation. "Yeah, Tim. You're always gonna be my Probie. I don't care if we're both old, grey and toothless in some nursing home."

Tim slanted a sideways glance at him. A slight smile quirked one side of his face, but his lips were still stiff with scar tissue, so it came out more like a grimace.

Tim shook his head. "Not a Probie if I'm not out…"

Irritated, Tony cut him off. "It's only temporary, Tim! You're at your desk… you nailed those three idiots with that code! You did a great job on that! And as for not being on the team, that's garbage. You just aren't in the field right now. That'll come. You do what you gotta do. You'll requalify, and you'll be back out in the field in no time." He changed the subject back to the topic of their original conversation.

"Are you sure you're ready to visit the scene of the crime again?"

Tim sighed. "Yeah. I'm ready." His voice was quiet as he stared down at his hands. His therapist had suggested this trip as a way of getting some closure on what had happened that day. Tim had been a bit skeptical, but he figured if it got him out of weekly visits to the shrink sooner, he would play along.

The ride the rest of the way out to the trailer park was quiet. The fact that Tim was wearing a wide-brimmed navy fisherman's style hat as opposed to his normal NCIS baseball cap only served to accentuate the _differentness _of the current situation. While he wore the regulation NCIS jacket, the hat was necessary to protect his face and neck. The numerous scars were still in the process of healing and Tim's skin was extremely sensitive to the sun. At the same time, most sunscreens irritating the healing skin, doing more harm than good. He was grateful that his ball cap had protected most of the top of his head during his trip through the window, or things could have been much worse. He was also appreciative that Abby had taken the time to sew an NCIS patch on the front of his hat. It was a small gesture, but it helped make him feel a bit more as if he belonged. Most of the time, anyway.

Tim dozed on the drive out to the park. He really didn't like thinking about that day which had changed his life, or at least changed his looks. He had ended up with over four hundred stitches by the time all was said and done. He would never be able to wear shorts or short sleeve shirts again without folks wondering what had happened. Many of the scars would heal over most of the way, but there were some that were just not going to heal well at all. The one down his right arm and the one that slashed down his left calf were prime examples. He could have plastic surgery, but he wasn't sure he wanted to bother. _He wasn't exactly any woman's dream catch anyway._

The ones on his face and neck were another story. He would definitely undergo plastic surgery on most of them and had already had some reconstructive surgery on a few of the worst ones. But he wasn't fooling himself. Infection had set in a couple of weeks after he had left the hospital. It had done a number on some of the wounds on his face and in a couple of spots on his neck. His doctors were very optimistic. They seemed to feel that he would eventually look close to how he had looked before their trip to the trailer park. _Eventually._ Tim stared morosely out the window.

The partners pulled up the long driveway nearly to the gate. Tony slowed the sedan to a stop. Tim slanted a glance over at him. "Why'd you stop?"

"Open your eyes, McGeek, you think there's any way around that bunch?"

Tim perked up at the sight in front of them. A large stake-bed truck was parked directly in front of them, taking up most of the driveway. The bed's wooden sides were high, and they couldn't see what the cargo was. The same security guard from before was out of his guardhouse and standing beside two men, who both looked to be older than Tony… probably in their late 30's or early 40s. One man was grizzled, somewhat portly and beginning to grey. He was built like a tank and was dressed in canvas work pants and a grubby flannel work shirt and boots. The other similarly dressed man was a bit younger, was much taller, redheaded, and seem to be the leader between the two men. He was gesticulating adamantly, pointing between the truck and the gate. Neither man looked like they were in the mood to be messed with, and it definitely seemed like trouble was in the offing.

Tony and Tim exchanged looks. "Not our jurisdiction, but you up to going over and seeing if we can get these guys moving? At least that way we can get in and out of here." Tony didn't want to push Tim, so he would leave it up to his partner.

Tim thought for a moment. "Might as well. Otherwise, this trip will just have been wasted."

Tony nodded, pleased that Tim sounded more like himself than he had recently. Tony pulled off into the parking lot.

They got out of the car and headed to the three men. They had only taken a few steps before they could hear the raised voices. The redhead was ranting at the security guard. "Are you kidding me? I don't care what your rules are. We are NOT taking our clothes off, Jack!"

The guard glowered up at the redhead, who, though he was quite slender, Tony realized had to stand at least 6'8" or 9". The guard crossed his arms stubbornly and declared. "And I said, if you want past these gates, you go over there and take your clothes off!"

The stocky man started laughing. "You're outta your mind, fella! You know what we got in the back of that truck?"

The security guard shook his head. "Don't know, don't care. If you ain't a cop, you don't get in here with clothes on."

Standing back as they were, Tony smirked to Tim, "Well, they learned something, anyway."

The tall fellow quirked an eyebrow at his partner. His brilliant blue eyes flashed as some sort of silent communication seemed to take place. The shorter man nodded. The redhead nodded at the security guard. "Fine. We've already been paid. We're NOT gonna unload our cargo naked. The hell with that. You do it."

And with that, the stocky man shooed the guard away with a wave of his hand, and the tall redhead got behind the wheel. He fired up the truck and maneuvered it around so that the tailgate was a few feet from the gate, with the stocky man directing him. The redhead killed the engine and rushed to the back of the truck. The security guard began to protest, and the redhead turned to him. "You might wanna go back up in your little shack there and call your boss. You're about to have a BIG problem."

With that, both men climbed up on the back of the truck, pulled the latch pins holding the tailgate up, and proceeded to unload a full cord of wood right across the front of the security gate. The men were extremely strong and extremely fast. They finished the job, latched the tailgate, jumped down, walked back around, climbed into their truck and drove away without another word.

Tim and Tony were standing on the sidelines, having heard the whole exchange. They looked at each other, heard the buzz of a golf cart heading towards the gate from the office and made an instant decision. They turned on their heels and headed quickly back to their car. They took off down the drive, though they had their windows down and could hear the shouting coming from the gate. The partners stared at each other as Tony waited to make the turn onto the highway. And the laughter that reverberated throughout the car sounded just like old times.

**A/N: **I have long wanted to tell the story about the loggers delivering the cord of wood to the nudist colony, because that story happens to be true, and the redheaded logger was my brother. Yes, he really was redheaded, blue-eyed, skinny and 6'8". RIP Lynn… I miss you and your general outrageousness!


End file.
